Mini Review… Wednesday?

Hey guys! Hopefully this post finds you well and that wherever you are, the weather is starting to warm up. Obviously I should change my graphic and just make this Mini Reviews, but I’m lazy and I do what I want. I’m continuing with my mini reviews this week as last week was a SUPER productive time for reading. I’ve really managed to make a dent in my NetGalley reads (SURPRISE! Bet you thought I would never start hacking through those, huh?) and also managed to sneak in a few print arcs and fun reads. Below I’m sharing a few books with you that I don’t have a ton to say about; I either feel many other reviews have said it better than I can or I just wasn’t as wowed as other readers about these books. Either way, let’s get to it! Have you read any of these books? If so, what were your thoughts? ❤

Karen, Eleanor, and Bea have been best friends since childhood. They know everything about each other’s lives, or at least they think they do. Now in their thirties, though their lives are beginning to diverge: Eleanor is a young wife and mother who is struggling to cope with her many responsibilities; Bea is happy being single—or so she lets people think; and Karen is a psychiatrist who, despite the secrets in her past, considers herself the anchor of the group.

But when she takes on a new patient with issues she just can’t quite put her finger on, she begins to realize she may have put her dearest friends in danger. Because her patient knows more about these three women than anyone outside their circle possible could. Or should…

I read Blackhurst’s first novel last year and thoroughly enjoyed it; it was dark and twisty and emotional, all three things I look for in my psychological thrillers. Before I Let You In was another well written novel, and I think I would classify this more as a domestic drama than a thriller of sorts, but maybe this was characterized as such due to the nature of some of the more unsettling content. While I did have the mystery figured out fairly early on, the writing was solid and I feel readers who are not as experienced in the psychological thriller genre will be blown away by this one. If you enjoy twisty, domestic thrillers, give this one a go!

In the Alskad Empire, nearly all are born with a twin, two halves to form one whole…yet some face the world alone.

The singleborn

A rare few are singleborn in each generation, and therefore given the right to rule by the gods and goddesses. Bo Trousillion is one of these few, born into the royal line and destined to rule. Though he has been chosen to succeed his great-aunt, Queen Runa, as the leader of the Alskad Empire, Bo has never felt equal to the grand future before him.

The diminished

When one twin dies, the other usually follows, unable to face the world without their other half. Those who survive are considered diminished, doomed to succumb to the violent grief that inevitably destroys everyone whose twin has died. Such is the fate of Vi Abernathy, whose twin sister died in infancy. Raised by the anchorites of the temple after her family cast her off, Vi has spent her whole life scheming for a way to escape and live out what’s left of her life in peace.

As their sixteenth birthdays approach, Bo and Vi face very different futures—one a life of luxury as the heir to the throne, the other years of backbreaking work as a temple servant. But a long-held secret and the fate of the empire are destined to bring them together in a way they never could have imagined.

This novel was something unique; the plot idea is unlike anything I’ve read before and the world building was a class act. The details here, large and small, were truly breathtaking and I commend the author for shining a light on so many overlooked themes, like platonic relationships and normalizing non-traditional families. The representation was really well done, and although the story was quite slow for awhile, it picked up after the first half and I zoomed right through. The cover is simply gorgeous and truly fits the book’s aesthetic well, so kudos to the people who were in charge of designing it! I felt the romance was middle of the road for me; it was nice and fine but I also felt it wasn’t memorable. I’m truly interested to see how the author’s writing grows in the next novel, as I think she’s one of the most forward thinking and original storytellers I’ve read lately.

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Published by The Suspense Is Thrilling Me

Chelsea is a happily married mother of two who's love of mysteries can be traced back to her first Nancy Drew experience. When not reading and writing book reviews, she likes to drink wine in her jammies and pretend that she exercises.
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